Temperament is key factor in dogs' adoptability

BY KRISTINE SWITTSPECIAL TO THE LEADER

Published: Thursday, August 3, 2006 at 6:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, August 2, 2006 at 4:54 p.m.

Up the A-frame, over two hurdles, through a tunnel - Stitch, a mixed-breed, rescued dog, successfully completes an 18-obstacle agility course. A year ago, Lilianne Merida, owner of Trained Dog, Happy Dog of Morriston, couldn't imagine that the fearful, aggressive, 4-month-old dog in her puppy obedience class would ever get this far.
"Most dogs which start like Stitch are put down," Merida said. "I remember the first time Stitch came to class. He was afraid of everything. A little noise and he would start barking and back away. I had so many doubts. Is he really going to come through this?"
Aggression in dogs is characterized as either dominance aggression or fear aggression. At the Humane Society of Marion County, all dogs are given a temperament test at intake to sort out dogs with aggression problems. The test assesses friendliness, approachability, reaction to noise and being startled, food aggression and play drive.
According to Lillian Pollice, who does the assessments at the shelter and is regional
coordinator for Dogs for the Blind, temperament is the most important factor in choosing which dogs are considered adoptable.
"Fear aggression, dominance aggression - they're both a challenge," Pollice says. "Both of them involve lots of socialization, lots of time.
"Time. This is where we run into a problem. We have so many dogs. This is why we focus on the most adoptable, to get them out before they go nuts.
"People that let their dogs on the furniture or on the bed - this is a very high dominant area for dogs. They just think they're hot stuff. It's a big-time dominance thing. There are little things, too, like going to the door and never letting the dog go out before you. Always go out before the dog. Don't let the dog eat before you. All of these things matter in the dog's mind."
According to Pollice, for fear aggression, the best scenario involves a foster home, where they can be with people and learn that good things come from people.
Pollice adopted a 5-month-old rescue dog that exhibited fear aggression.
"He was a wreck," said Pollice. "He cowered, cringed, flinched and cried out. It took months to get it out. If the fear kept up, he would have become a fear-biter. Fear-biting is dangerous and very common. Building up confidence was crucial. He has a soft temperament, very sensitive. Now he's a therapy dog."
According to Merida, knowing what may set off an aggressive dog and preventing those situations is the owners' main job and is key to controlling the aggression. It is up to the owners to decide if they can do that.
"When you have dogs which are aggressive to people and there are little kids and a lot of visitors, it is so risky," Merida says. "If controlling the aggression is too much, too stressful, too risky, then
we can't do it. And with that fine line of deciding, we may have to go to euthanasia."
The right dog for the right home - the Humane Society is working on expanding its adoption counseling to match the dog with the lifestyle of the family.
Owners who are having problems are encouraged to call and talk with a trainer before turning a dog in. Sometimes a simple change may solve the problem.
"If you are very bold and have a lot of time and are very dedicated, you can get a dog that is already problematic," Merida says. "And some of them do really well. I really think many of them have the potential to become awesome, awesome dogs."

Up the A-frame, over two hurdles, through a tunnel - Stitch, a mixed-breed, rescued dog, successfully completes an 18-obstacle agility course. A year ago, Lilianne Merida, owner of Trained Dog, Happy Dog of Morriston, couldn't imagine that the fearful, aggressive, 4-month-old dog in her puppy obedience class would ever get this far.<BR>
"Most dogs which start like Stitch are put down," Merida said. "I remember the first time Stitch came to class. He was afraid of everything. A little noise and he would start barking and back away. I had so many doubts. Is he really going to come through this?"<BR>
Aggression in dogs is characterized as either dominance aggression or fear aggression. At the Humane Society of Marion County, all dogs are given a temperament test at intake to sort out dogs with aggression problems. The test assesses friendliness, approachability, reaction to noise and being startled, food aggression and play drive.<BR>
According to Lillian Pollice, who does the assessments at the shelter and is regional<BR>
coordinator for Dogs for the Blind, temperament is the most important factor in choosing which dogs are considered adoptable.<BR>
"Fear aggression, dominance aggression - they're both a challenge," Pollice says. "Both of them involve lots of socialization, lots of time.<BR>
"Time. This is where we run into a problem. We have so many dogs. This is why we focus on the most adoptable, to get them out before they go nuts.<BR>
"People that let their dogs on the furniture or on the bed - this is a very high dominant area for dogs. They just think they're hot stuff. It's a big-time dominance thing. There are little things, too, like going to the door and never letting the dog go out before you. Always go out before the dog. Don't let the dog eat before you. All of these things matter in the dog's mind."<BR>
According to Pollice, for fear aggression, the best scenario involves a foster home, where they can be with people and learn that good things come from people.<BR>
Pollice adopted a 5-month-old rescue dog that exhibited fear aggression.<BR>
"He was a wreck," said Pollice. "He cowered, cringed, flinched and cried out. It took months to get it out. If the fear kept up, he would have become a fear-biter. Fear-biting is dangerous and very common. Building up confidence was crucial. He has a soft temperament, very sensitive. Now he's a therapy dog."<BR>
According to Merida, knowing what may set off an aggressive dog and preventing those situations is the owners' main job and is key to controlling the aggression. It is up to the owners to decide if they can do that.<BR>
"When you have dogs which are aggressive to people and there are little kids and a lot of visitors, it is so risky," Merida says. "If controlling the aggression is too much, too stressful, too risky, then<BR>
we can't do it. And with that fine line of deciding, we may have to go to euthanasia."<BR>
The right dog for the right home - the Humane Society is working on expanding its adoption counseling to match the dog with the lifestyle of the family.<BR>
Owners who are having problems are encouraged to call and talk with a trainer before turning a dog in. Sometimes a simple change may solve the problem.<BR>
"If you are very bold and have a lot of time and are very dedicated, you can get a dog that is already problematic," Merida says. "And some of them do really well. I really think many of them have the potential to become awesome, awesome dogs."<BR>